Corset



Feb. 23, 1954 H. LOBBENBERG CORSET Filed July 8, 1949 Patented Feb. 23, 1954 CORSET Hans Lobbenberg, London, England, assignor of part interest to Trubenised (Great Britain) Limited, London, England, a British company Application July 8, 1949, Serial N 0. 103,659

Claims priority, application Great Britain July 23, 1948 8 Claims.

This invention relates to corsets and particularly although not exclusively to corsets in which so called bones are disposed substautially. vertically in the front portion of the garment to afford support for the stomach and diaphragm of the wearer. The term bones is here and throughout the specification and the appended claims to be understood as including stiffening strips of metal, Celluloid and other hard and resilient materials, and not as limited to the strips of whalebone to which the term was originally applied.

In such corsets, as at present constructed, there is a tendency for the upper edge portion of the corset to become permanently folded or rolled forwardly over the upper ends of the bones, even though the latter are disposedwith their ends as close as possible to the edge of the corset. Another disadvantage of such corsets is that the upper ends of the bones press against the flesh of the wearer when she bends forward, causing considerable discomfort, particularly when the corset extends substantially above the natural waist line, as required by current fashion.

According to one feature of the present invention these disadvantages are avoided by disposing the bones with their upper ends spaced at some little distance downwardly from the upper edge of the corset and securing in the front portion of the corset stiffening fabric which extends downwardly from the upper edge of the corset alongside the upper parts of the bones. Preferably the stiffening fabric extends also across the tops of the bones, a convenient arrangement being to accommodate the upper part of each bone in a correspondingly shaped slot extending upwardly from the lower edge of a piece of stiffening fabric which is secured with its upper edge level with the upper edge of the corset. The corset is thus stiffened right up to the edge sufficiently to prevent the usual folding or rolling wardly from the upper edge of the panel and secured by stitching between said fabric layers.

A corset constructed in accordance with the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the corset, Figure 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the front panel of the corset with parts broken away and removed to show the construction thereof and Figure 3 is a sectional view on a still further enlarged scale, taken on the line IIIIII of Figure 2.

The corset illustrated comprises a front panel designated in general as I, a pair of side panels 2 and a back panel 3, a sliding clasp fastener l.

forming a detachable connection between the upper parts of one side edge of the front panel and of the adjacent side edge of one of the side panels An elastic gusset 5 is provided in the centre of the lower edge of the front panel and four stocking suspenders 6 are attached to the lower edge of the corset.

The front panel comprises an outer fabric layer H and an inner fabric layer l2. Between these fabric layers there are disposed three bones 13 which extend downwardly from points a short distance below the upper edge of the corset. For each of these bones there is provided a piece of stiffening fabric I4, cut from a three-ply fused fabric assembly, which is secured by stitching to the outer face of the inner fabric layer l2, the upper edges of the members l4 being on a level with and conforming to the shape of the upper edge of the front panel. Each of the members I4 is formed with a slot l5 extending from the lower edge thereof towards the upper edge, this slot being shaped and dimensioned to accommodate snugly the upper partof one of the bones l 3.

over and at the same time the wearer is afforded I protection against injury by the ends of the bones.

The stiffening and protecting strips may be formed by a single thickness of felt or other suitable material, but they are most conveniently made from a so-called fused fabric assembly, consisting of three or more superimposed plies of fabric adhesively united together by means of strands of potentially adhesive material contained in one or more of the plies. v

Such fused fabric stiffening strips may also be employed with advantage in corsets which are not provided with bones and the invention includes a corset having a front panel comprising initially rectangular piece of material measuring.

fused fabric stiffening members extending down- The bones, which are provided with fabric cover strips l6 and [1, are laid into the slots in the parts It and secured in position by stitching their cover strips to the inner fabric layer I2.

The size and shape of the stiffening and protecting members l4 may be varied within fairly wide limits, but in the particular corset illustrated, each of these members was cut from an some two inches in height and one and a half inches in width. In the completed corset, the upper part of each of the bones I3 is bordered on three sides by a stiffening strip about half an inch in width. The sidejedges of the members [4 lie fairly closely adjacent one another, so that together they form an almost continuous band of stiffening along the upper edge of the corset which effectively prevents' the'latter from rolling overdownwardly. withoutiimpairing th circum ferentialflexibility of the-corset.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement and mode of construction described and "illustrated; these being given by way of illustrative example only.

I claim:

1. A corset or like garment comprising a fabric body portion for encircling the body, a plurality of bones secured to the front of said body portion and extending downwardly from points spaced below the upper edge of said body portion, and a plurality of fabric stifleners more flexible than said bones also securedto the front of said body portion, each of said stiffeners having an upper edge level with and conforming to the shape of the upper edge of said body portion and each of said stiffeners including a central part extending downwardly from said upper edge to a point immediately above the upper end of one of said bones and "two side parts extending downwardly from said upper edge and in non-overlapping relationship alongside of and closely adjacent to the upper part of said one bone.

2. In a corset or like garment, a front panel comprising inner and outer layers of "fabricfsecured together, a plurality of stiffening members composed of multiple plies of fabric fused to gether disposed between said layers of fabric and secured with their upper edges level with the upper edges of said layers, each .of said stiffening members being formed with a recess extending from the lower-edge of said. mem ber towards the upperedge thereof, and an equal plurality of bones also disposed between and secured to said fabric layers, said bones respec-' tively having upper parts snugly fitted.insaid recesses, respectively, of said stiffening members,

3. In a corset or like garment, a' front panel comprising inner and outer layers of fabric secured together by stitching, a\ plurality of stiffening members composed. of multiple fused plies wearer and whereby the upper portion of the garment cannot be rolled over by the wearer.

6. In a garment having an upper and a lower edge, in combination, stiffening means secured to the garment, and having an outer edge located of fabric disposed between, said. layers of fabric and secured by stitching in closely adjacent side. by siderelationship with their upper edges level with the upper edges of said layers, each-of said stiffening members being] formed with a recess extending from the lower edge of said. member towards the upper edge thereof, and an equal plurality of bones also disposed between and se-f curedto said fabric layers, said bones respec tively having upper vparts snugly fitted in said recesses, respectively, of said stifieningmembers.

4. A corset or like garmenthavinga front.por-- tion comprising inner and outer layers of fabric, secured together. with theirupper edges in register, a .plurality of bones disposed 'in spaced.

along the upper edge of the garment, said stiffening means extending from the upper edge of the garment toward the lower edge thereof and being formed with a recess extending inwardly from an edge distant from said outer edge thereof; a bone having an end portion thereof located in said recess of said stiffening means; and a fabric pocket enclosing said bone, being partly located in said recess and being secured to said stiffening means, whereby said stifiening means forms an extension of the bone which prevents the upper part of the garment from being rolled over and prevents the end portion of the bone from projecting from its position in the garment.

7. A corset or like garment comprising a fabric body portion for encircling the body, a plurality of bones secured to the front of said body portion, being spaced from each other and extending in substantially parallel relation downwardly from points'located adjacent and spaced below the upper edge of said fabric body portion, and

a plurality of fabric stiffeners of lesser stiffness than said bones alsosecured fto' the front of said body portion, said stiffeners each having an upper edge level with and conforming to the shape of the upper edge of said body portion and said stiifeners'each having a lower portion extending downwardly from said upper edge of said body portion in non-overlapping relationship alongside of "and closely adjacent to the upper part of one of said bones, said lower portions of said stifl'eners'being located between said bones, and said stiffenerseach being composed of multiplefused plies of fabric.

8. A corset or like garment having a front portion comprising inner and outer layers of fabric secured together: with their upper edges in register, a plurality of bones disposed in spaced substantially parallel relationship between said layers and extending downwardlyfrom points substantially parallel relationship between said layers and extending downwardly from points below the upper edges of said layers, an equal plurality of flat U-shaped stiifeners disposed between said layers and composed of multiple plies of fabric adhesively united together, each of said stiffeners closely surrounding. the .upper portion of one bf'said bones and having anupper edge level with andconformin'g to theshap'e oflthe. upper edges of said Iayers,.said.stifieners haying their side edges lyingclosely adjacent one another.

5. In a garment having an upper edge and an elongated bone mounted on said garment with an end portionof the bone located adjacent. to

but. spaced from the. upper, edge. of the. garment, a substantially ll-shaped stiffener. consisting. or, a lplurality .of fused" fabric plies. located'iclosely, about "the end' portion ofgthelbon'e'iwithi opposite below said upper edges of said layers, and a plurality of stiffening members composed of multiple fused plies of fabric and secured by stitchingwiththeir upper edges level with the upper edges of said layers, said stiffening members having lower parts lying in non-overlapping relationship alongside of andbetween the upperparts or said bones.

HANS LOBE'ENBERG.

References cited in the file of thi's p'atent 

